Nixa man gets 12 years in prison for three rapes

Jan. 10, 2014

Name: Jamison S Marquart Type: Felony; Offense Description: Rape Or Attempted Rape 1St Degree Bond: 0 Offense descriptions are provided by the jail and do not necessarily represent formal charges. Arrested persons may be charged with crimes not listed above or released without charges. More information available at the Greene County Jail web site. / Source: Greene County Jail

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One victim said Jamison Marquart told her he was teaching her a lesson while he raped her.

Another victim said that after she was raped by Marquart, she now sleeps with shoes on — ready to wake up fighting.

Marquart himself todayimplored a Greene County judge to believe that he is a good guy.

“But that one year period of time, I lost myself,” he said.

During that one year, the Nixa man raped three women he had lured to his downtown Springfield apartment.

Despite the request for mercy, Judge Calvin Holden ordered the man, now 28 years old, to serve 12 years in Missouri prison.

Twelve years was the maximum sentence the judge could order in the case after prosecutors negotiated a cap in exchange for a plea leading to the conviction. Prosecutors said the victims were OK with the agreement, which spared them from having to testify at a trial in front of a jury.

Marquart will also be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

The second victim went to police, but prosecutors couldn't make a case until the third rape, almost a year later.

All three victims were in the courtroom Friday. Two described how Marquart’s violent acts continue — after six years — to affect their relationships and feelings of security.

“Now I’m afraid that every man I see secretly wants to hurt me like Jamison did,” one woman said.

Marquart’s attorney described his client as a sheltered kid before he moved to Springfield at age 22 and was exposed to drugs and alcohol.

His acts at that age were “an anomaly,” brought on by inexperience and peer pressure, the lawyer said.

According to three probable cause statements filed with the charges, Marquart repeatedly preyed on women he invited to his apartment.

The first attack occurred April 8, 2007. A woman told police that, in the early hours of that date, she had a drink at Marquart's East Macs Court apartment and “does not remember anything until waking up with the suspect on top of her,” a probable cause statement reads.

The woman told police she couldn't get Marquart off her and passed out “numerous times” during the assault, the document says.

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She woke up the next morning on Marquart's futon. Nearly a month later, police found a bloodstain on the futon consistent with the woman's DNA, the document says.

Marquart's next attack occurred a week later, on April 15, 2007, and in much the same way.

A woman reported she was in the man's apartment and, once again, she accepted a drink.

The woman “became dizzy and alleges the suspect forced her to have sexual intercourse,” a second probable cause statement says.

The woman reported the attack to police, who arranged for her to make a recorded call to Marquart. During the call, police say Marquart repeatedly denied he and the woman had sex.

Lab results from a semen sample taken from the second victim's underwear could not eliminate Marquart as a contributor, the probable cause statement says.

The third attack occurred nearly a year later, on March 3, 2008. At that point, police say Marquart had moved to a new apartment, on West Kingsley Street in Springfield.

A woman reported to police she was at the residence when Marquart began to kiss her. She became uncomfortable and tried to leave when Marquart “turned her upside down and began to undress her,” a third probable cause statement says.

The woman resisted, and Marquart allegedly told her “I need to teach you a lesson” before raping and sodomizing her. Police say he allowed the woman to leave after the attack.

The victim reported the assault, and a rape kit was completed. Police say a semen sample taken in the investigation is consistent with Marquart's DNA.

In all three cases, Marquart refused to answer police questions about the allegations.

Marquart entered a somewhat uncommon type of plea in open court known as an Alford plea, which does not admit guilt but acknowledges enough evidence exists for a conviction.